CANTERBURY A. AND P. ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3114, 19 November 1913, Page 18

CANTERBURY A. AND P. ASSOCIATION.

THE JUBILEE SHOW. (Special to the Otago Witness.) Officials: President, Mr J. Grigg; vicepresident, Mr W. F. Parkinson; treasurer, Mr A. M'Kellar; secretary, Mr O. B. Pemberton. For 50 years —in fact, for 51, to be strictly accurate —have the Canterbury A. and P. Association held their annual A. and P. Show, and on November 12, 13, and 14 the official jubilee show of the association was held 'on the show grounds at Addington, which have been in use now by the society since 1887.

The society was not forsaken by its proverbial luck so far as the weather was concerned, because, in spite of threatening clouds and doubtful-looking mornings, the weather held good after all, and.- the major portion of the show days was pleasant, and not too hot.

The entries for the show were very satisfactory, though not a record, but they were the highest since the big show at Exhibition time in 1906, and considerably larger than last year. In 1906 the actual total was 2563; last vear it *was 2096, and this year 2272. The strike which' at one time it was thought would have dene the show an immense amount of damage, really hardly affected the stock exhibits at all. A couple of North Island breeders were prevented from sending down their stock, and one judge was detained in Wellington; but, though regrettable, it had little effect on the show os a whole. It was a different matter in regard to the unfortunate automobile agents, huge stocks of whose goods were blocked by the strike, to the detriment of their displays. The action of Mr Chas. Goultcr, of Blenheim, in sending his merinos entered for the scouring competition right down from Marlborough by dray was considered unique in the annals of snows, and everyone was glad to hear that his tenacity of purpose had boon icwarded by 7 the winning outright of the coveted Wolseley Cup. The attendances of the public at the second and third days of the show wore very good indeed. The first day was a day of preparation pure and simple. Generally some of the exhibits have been judged on that day, but a change was tried this year, though it was doubtful if the new style was any improvement. The second day, the 13th inst, was the really serious judging day, the sheep, draught horses, cattle, pigs, and some minor classes coming before the arbiters. A new feature of the second day was the inclusion of classes for bullock teams from the Banks Peninsula, and these glimpses of old Canterbury methods of locomotion and traction were intensely appreciated by the crowd,. many of whom had never seen the real live “ bullocky ” and his charges before. THE SHEEP. To a Canterbury man tho sheep section always looms large, and ho just naturally drifts over towards the sheep pens. The display of sheep, taking them in one comprehensive whole, muse be astonishingly gratifying to one who remembers tho Canterbury 7 Show of even 10 years ago. Then it was thought good, and, in fact, was good, but there is absolutely no comparison between tho display of the present day and that of tho past—not that there were not good individual sheep in the old days. Names of champion sires come to mind in dozens, but there was a lack of tho beautiful evenness in quality that distinguishes tho modern show, and in several of the breeds at the current exhibition one could pass down long linos of pens without finding a real bad one among tho lot. To take the sheep in detail would be rather a lengthy business, and we must confine ourselves to a more or less rapid review of the principal breeds and most prominent prize-winners. First, the good old but, alas! fast-disappearing merino. Jt is haidly too much to call him the backbone of the Now Zealand pnstoralist, and when one realises that the popular Corriedale and tho valuable all-round halfbred would have been unknown without the wrinkly one and his works, one may gain a respect which is inclined to be lacking nowadays. The entries for the merino scouring competition (halfbred and Corriedale) wore rather better than last y 7 ear, and the sheep in decidedly better condition. As usual, there was a certain amount of unevenness noticeable in tho fleeces, and tlie faults of openness on tho back and lack of constitution could bo observed in a few cases. In past years some considerable trouble has been experienced in the classifying of the fine and strong combing sections, but the strong representations mode by exhibitors have resulted in all this being rectified, and no grumbles arc heard now. Tho championsh'.g f°r fine combing ram went to Sir Geo. Clifford, and tho female champion was shown by Mr Jus. Stevenson, of Flaxton. Tho strong combing division was rather better all through, and here the blue ribbon for males wont to another of the Flaxton representatives, while Mr A. W. Rutherford, jim.. of Brookdalo, gained the ewe championship and the Glenmark Cup for the best merino ewe The English Leicesters are always popular in Canterbury; but the show this year was just a trifle disappointing in some respects. The season had favoured the wool, though tho faults of lightness seen in 1912 were not repeated, except in a very few eases. 'There should have been more sheep pens, however. The Darfield breeders (Messrs Reid Bros.) took the ram championship and reserve,_ while tho Hon. R. H. Rhodes was surprisingly successful in ewes, boating the redoubtable E. Kolland. the well-known breeder of Tirnaru. Sheepmen wore greatly taken with tho display of Borders, vvh’ch was worthy of tho highest praise. Mr Jas. Ross, of Palmerston, and Inn Mount Royal Estito showed extensively, but were not particularly successful at getting into the prize-list. The ehamp : on ram was shown bv Mr D. Archibald, of Cheviot, and the reserve also. Mr D. M Sutherland, of Waimate. w r as the winner of the ewe championship. Mr Sutherland is a comparatively now man in the ring, but has been remarkably successful as a breeder of Borders. The Lincolns were not particularly well patrcri'sed. and this year the Mooraki Estate, which has generally swept the board, had to divide the honours with Mr A. With ell, of Brooksidc. Mr Witholl gained tho ram championship with a ram bred by Mr Perry, of Masterton ; hut the Land Co. won the female championship with a typical ewe. The reserve for ewes also went to a Moeraki representative. Mr Donald Grant, of Tirnaru, w 7 on the championship for rams

in the Romney Marsh breed, and it was gratifying to see the largo increase in the entries of this particular breed of sheep. The ewe award went to Mr W. G. Hadbrook of Charlton, Southland, who was exceedingly successful all through the section. Mr H. Y. Fulton, of Dunedin, judged the Romneys. The display of Downs was rather better than last year both as regards quantity and quality. The Southdowns were of particularly high class, and the rams shown by Mr G. Gardner, of Medbury, were bred by Mr C. R. W. A’Deane, and were of the best blood in England. A new exhibitor is Mr J. R. Reid, of Eldershe, who showed a beautiful two-shear ram just imported, and bred by Mr J. R. West, Strat-ford-on-Avon. The ram championship went to Mr Gardner, and Mr Geo. Rhodes won the premier ewe award and the Southdown Society’s Cup for the best ram by an imported ram. The Shropshires’ ranks were depleted by the absence of the fin© sheep usually sent down by Mr H. D. Vavasour, of Blenheim, his entries being “ strikebound.” Mr Leonard White, of Rakaia, won both the championship and the Shropshire Society’s Cup. A few Ryelands were penned; but the entries* in Corriedales and halfbreds were well up' to the mark. In the former the Moenaki Estate had good exhibits, but were not so much in the prize-' list as is generally the case. Mr L. White won the championships, and other successful exhibitors were the Land Co., Mr J. Stringfellow, and Mr C. H. Ensor. In halfbreds Mr L. W T hite practically swept the board, taking both championships and reserves. The show of fat sheep and lambs was a magnificent one, and was notable for the fine finish and evenness of the whole line of exhibits. CATTLE. There was a meritorious display in the cattle section, though it must be admitted that it docs not come up to the grand show at Palmerston North in this respect. As usual, the Shorthorn was predominant, and the competition in the bull classes was very interesting, as some fresh blood had been brought into the ring. The Canterbury Agricultural College have been doing great things lately, and both last year and this were particularly successful with their Shorthorn stock. The bull championship wont to the college, Broadhook’s Stamp, a bull bred by the Hon. F. Wrench, Dublin, being the winner in 1913 as in 1912. The _ reserve bull was also a college production, Lincoln Shamrock, a two-year-old of considerable promise. The bull classes were, generally speaking, large,, and the scene in the ring was an impressive one. The cow championship went to another 1912 winner, Mr C. M. Threlkeld’s Inglewood Pink, and the college’s Lincoln Moffat IV was reserve champion. The exhibits of Horefords, Aberdeen Angus (from Mount Royal), Red Polls, South Devons, and Guernseys were oneman affairs, and were shown as the particular fancy of certain breeders. The Jerseys were an exceedingly nice lot, and the judge remarked on the advance in quality since a few years ago. Mr H. E. B. Watson, of Tai Tapu, annexed both bull and cow championships, but Mr F. Hellyer, of N.E. Harbour, Dunedin, got into the prize-list on several occasions. The Ayrshires were very attractive, and hero the bull championship went to Mr Jas. Frew’s General of Herbert, a remarkably nice animal bred by the exhibitor. The reserve went to Mr J. Parlane, the Horomta breeder being out of luck. The oow championship went to another southerner, Mr Arch. Gillies, of Hampden, who won with Rita V of Townhead, beating Mr Parlane’s Bonnie Mary (reserve). The classes for Holsteina, were much better filled than has been the case formerly 7, and the competition was very much bettor also. There wore no championships given, but the principal prize-takers in the mole classes were Messrs A. F. Stocker (Timaru) and T. H. Overton, while Mr J. Grigg won in cows. The fat cattle pens were regrettably empty, several of the entries having been delayed by the strike. DRAUGHT HORSES. The draught horses vied with the sheep in being the best patronised and most important section of the show, and the general display was undoubtedly good, tllougn several classes had a “tail” that was not up. to show form. The section was somewhat of a triumph for Otago, for there was no doubt of the decisive wins scored by Mr Jas Patrick with his string of worldbeaters. Everyone bemoaned the fact that the Wairongoa team did not put in on appearance, as the clash between these high-class Clydesdales, the Outrarn champions, and the best that Canterbury could produce would have had considerable interest. The championship went to Mr Jas Patrick’s Baron Bold for the third time running, and this breeder performed the unique feat of gaining the mare championship also with Maggie Young. Baron Bold’s show record is surely a remarkable one, and ho has now been placed in the front rank by every leading judge in the Dominion, so there can bo little doubt about his quality. He has been up against strong competition, and recent importations from the best studs, but so far be has not yielded place to any rivals. The open class for stallions brought out four entries, and they were placed in the following order:—Baron Bold, Black Douglas, Revolution, and Aitken Brae. Baron Bold was successful in a progeny class, and the success of his get throughout the main classes in the show must set all doubfb at rest—if there arc any—as to his value as a sire. The three-year-old colts were a good lot, and the red-ticket taker was Mr Donald McDonald’s Scotland’s Stamp, by the imported Sir Thornloy from a Wallace mare. Scotland’s Stamp is a valuable typo of Clydesdale, and looks as if ho will fill out into a really big horse, with the weight wanted nowadays. His win was a comparatively easy one, and he has very desirable action. Otago ringsidors will recollect that ho scored in the three-year-old class at' the Southland paracle, and was third in Dunedin. The blue-ticket taker in the class was Reformer, by Baron Fyvie, a very solid colt owned by "Messrs Lill' and Westenra, of Dunsandcl. which has been successful in the Canterbury show rings this season. The third place was filled by Mr S. Smith’s Baron Burnside, another of Baron Fyvie’s progeny, who is a weighty colt of great promise. Nine came out in the two-year-old class, and Mr Patrick scored with a Baron Bold—Jess colt, Mr Jas. Wylie being second and third with a pair of colts by Baron Everest, who, by the wav, is the only sire that has emulated Baron Bold’s feat of winning the championship three times in succession. The yearlings were distinctly disappointing, _ it being a big class certainly, hut very patchy. The Outran! breeder added another red ticket to his store with a youngster by

Baron Bold from Patroness. The dcfection of the Wairongoa ijiaree robbed the female classes of a considerable portion of their interest, as the meeting of the wellknown breeders present should 1 have been instructive, not to say exciting. Unfortunately, some of the classes were rather small, but lack of quantity was made up for by quality. In the in-foal class three paraded, and Maggie Young, an Outram representative, was awarded the first prize and later on the blue ribbon. This is not Maggie’s first appearance in Christchurch by any means, as she has won consistently, and was reserve champion twice, and had done equally as well in Dunedin and' Southland. Only one mare came out in the class for mare with foal at foot, and Mr E. E. Jenkins scored a red card with Maggie 111 of Wadclington. Mr A. M‘Dean’s Silver Princess won the dry-mare class easily. The three-year-old fillies was a much more encouraging class, and here again the premier position went to a representative of Mr Jas. Patrick s stud. .T"J? filly is a high-class one with distinguished action and manners, but the second placed filly, Jean Everest, shewn by Mr Jas. Wyllie, is also a thoroughly good one, and has put up a good record in the ring. The ring of two-year-old fillies was also a vci y good one, 10 parading, and none of them was bad. The winner turned up in Mr D. Regan’s Brown Empress, a magnificent filly with good action. Mr Patrick got beaten here, his representative suffering from a slight kick in the hock, which stiffened her ■up considerably. The third prize went to Mr J. D. Wyllie with a Baron Everest filly. The yearlings were not particularly attractive, the “tail” being disappointing. There were a few ones amerff th" placed youngsters, and hero Mr J. D. Wyllie’s Ba.ron Everest filly got the red i card, beating a Baron Bold filly owned bv Mr R. J. Sparks. The competition in geldings was not very keen, and there were only two working geldings shown, Mr J. C. Faulkner being the owner. In pairs of mares Mr Patrick scored creditably, beating the president (Mr Grigg). but tne latter won the four-horse trams with a quartet of mares by Baron Wigton; but Mr Patrick reversed the decision in a class for f-cir marcs or fillies. Baron Bold’s progeny won the fiist prize in a class for four of the progeny of one staliion. PIGS.

There ages an all-round d'splay of quality in the pig section, and several well-known breeders were against each other for the honours with the best in their herd. In Bcrkshires Mr W. H. Stephens ajid the

Sunnyside Mental Hospital wore paramount, and the latter institution were also very successful in Yorkshires, Mr C. Brice failing’ to get his usual number of r> d tickets. The Large Black and Tamworths were not well patronised, but some nice fat pigs were penned. “ PEOPLE’S DAY.”

The third day of the show was attended fortunately by fine weather, and a very large number of people patronised the association, it being estimated that there were roughly about 38,000 present, as against 39,000 for the corresponding day last year. The weather was very pleasant, and the fixture may certainly be put down as one more of the long list of successes that have attended the efforts of the Canterbury A. and P. Association. Mr H. V. Fulton, secretary of the Otago A and P. Association, expressed great pleasure at the magnificent show of sheen, which he characterised as undoubtedly the best in New Zealand. Ho thought the light horses and cattle good also, but was evidently of the opinion that the southerners had nothing to learn from

the Canterbury breeders with regard to the breeding and bringing out of draught horses. A rather unique feature of the third day of the show was the fact that the old original flag that flew at the first show of the society half a century ago was bravely fluttering at the flagstaff. It had belonged to the late Mr Geo. Gould, and at one fine was about the only flag in Christchurch, and, consequently, was borrowed for ail sorts of occasions. One of the bodies that borrowed it was the young A. and P. Association, and for several shows it was flown until the association was able to got a special flag of its own made. The grand parade of prize-winners, which took place during the afternoon, was a really magnificent sight, enhanced, and rendered even more interesting than usual, by the long lines of bullock teams. The judging on the third day was practically confined to the light-horse division, and the genera! display of this class of stock was better than has been seen for seme time —a rather gratifying circumstance when the inroads of the automobile of late years is considered. The saddlehorse section was generally conceded to be the most interesting. Nearly all the horses were fairly well known in the show ring, being the best of their class. The manners of the horses were excellent, and the horsemanship shown by both men and women riders was favourably commented on. The breeding classes were poorly patronised, as is generally the case curiously enough. The 15st hacks were a fine lot. and a newcomer gained the red ticket, this being Mr W. 0. Berryman’s The Colonel, which beat Messrs A. and W. Gillanders’ Westwood, which is a horse that has done excellently in the ring. Miss Tsbel Rutherford was extremely successful with The Chief, who was shown in rierfect condition, and has the manners of .a gentleman. The ChW won the 13st class handsomely, the lady’s hack class, a special prize as a 13st journey horse, and the coveted champion hack ribbon. Other successful exhib’tors in ’he saddle classes wore Mrs Bothell, Mr J. Selby, Mr D. W. Wcstenra, Mr C. Pnrkins-->ri. end

Miss M. Grigg. The quality of the harness horses, with a few notable exceptions, docs not compare ycry favourably with whit used to bo soon in the ring some years ago. The breeding classes were disappointing, the marcs being decidedly poor. Some few good ones came forward, however, and the pair shown by Messrs W. Hayward and Co. were brought out in the well-known style of these experts. Mr W. Seoon’s brown pained a good win in the under 15 hands class, and Mr T. Gee, of Cheviot, did well ■with his well-known pair of black cobs. Dawn and Dusk, winning Gcvcral prizes in different classes. Mr D, W. IT cstc lira’s Katorfilto, a fine upstanding grey, scored as a dog-cart-horse, and repealed his victory in the lady’s turnout class, being beautifully mannered, and having great stylo. Prominent in the harness classes as prize-winners were Mr W G. Smith and Sir Goo. Clifford. The division for colis and ponies : - always an interesting one at the show, and the very keenest competition takes place in some* of the classes. Some nice pony Stallions came forward, and the winners in two classes were Mrs H. O. Duncan's Duke of York and Mr F. Lewis’s Charming Prince. Mr T. Gee scored heavily with Dawn and Dusk in several classes, and these

two, who are looking very well indeed, are hard to beat, being beautifully matched and a perfectly-manncred pair. Other successful prize-takers were Messrs R. J. Parsons, F Harris, A: J. Keith, Hayward and Co., A. F. Moore, A. Matson, and Sir Geo. Clifford and Mrs Onslow, who showed the best polo jnony. There were only a couple of trotters shown, and the classes for blood horses were very xxiorly patronised. On the other hand, the tradesmen turned out in groat force, and some splendidly smart outfits were shown, which did the exhibition groat credit. The hunting competitions and the jumping generally was very good, and kept the solid ranks of sightseers round the ring interested for a couple of hours.

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL NEWS. The inspectors and officers of the Agricultural Department are this year busy laying down and supervising experimental plots over most parts of the dominion, and in Clutha, in common with other places, a good deal is being done to secure and tabulate for reference results of cereal and root crops with various manures and under varying conditions in the different eoils ; This year there will be 300 plots in the Clutha-Bruce district, comprising the country between Milton and Clydevale. No fewer than 120 of these are being conducted at the Balclutha District High School. There will be experiments in oats, wheat, soft and swede turnips, lucerne, potatoes, carrots, kohlrabi, sugar beet, silver beet, chou moellier, thousand-headed kale, rape, tares, ryecorn, marrows, squashes, and pumpkins. The entries for the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s show, which closed on Saturday, total 721, an increase of about 40 over the 1910 and 1911 shows, but a considerable drop from the aggregate for last year’s show. That, however, was the jubilee exhibition, and a special effort was made to render it worthy of the occasion. Sheep number 200, and of these 54 are Border Leiccsters, the next-best represented breed being Gorriedalcs, with 24. The entries of fat sheep and lambs total 81 —a record for an Oamaru show. The entries of cattle are 81, and of these 53 are in the Ayrshire sections. Horses account for 243 entries, niaelc up of 90 draughts, 112 light horses, and 44 ponies. The minor sections of the show are fairly well filled, some classes being above and others below the entries last year, the most noticeable advance being in grain end seeds, and the largest decline in dairy produce.

The first summer show of the Winton A. and P. Association will be held on Wednesday, 25th inst. Hitherto the association lias field winter shows—and very successful shows they have been as a rule, — but the district has been progressing so steadily of late that the association decided a summer show would be well supported, and, when appealed to, farmers came forward in numbers with offers of assistance. It is confidently anticipated that there will be large entries and keen competition, and, with fine weather, the association should have no reason for regretting the step taken. Largo white pigs at the sale of the late Sir Richard Cooper's herd, at Shenstono, England, realised satisfactory prices, the highest being 40 guineas for Shonstone Girl and litter. Thirty-four guineas, 32 guineas, and 20 guineas were other prices paid for sows, and boars realised up to 20 guineas. The average price was £l2 7s 6d The Shropshiros, at the same sale, sold cheaply, and buyers got bargains. A ram realised eight guineas, while eight and a-half guineas was paid for shearling owes. The famous herd of Aberdeen-Angus cattle at Cullen House, Banffshire, belonging to the trustees of the late Lady Sonfield, , was dispersed in September. The bull calves, however, will not bo sold until next spring. Several excellent animals wore bought for England, and purchases wore also made for the Argentine. Mr Wheeler Gabon, Warwick, paid £lls 10s for a your-year-old bull; Mr Wilson, Inchpowor, £6O 18s for a calf; Mr Dingwall Fordyce, of Brucklay Castle, £99 10s for a calf; Mr Wilson, Jnchgower, £7l 8s for a cow; Mr King, Hertfordshire, £lO5 for a cow; Lord Pirrie, £63 for a calf: MiBridges, of Ewell Court, Surrey, £55 11s for a cow; and Senor Guerrero, of Buenos Aires, £57 15s for a yearling heifer. The total amount realised was £2748.

Some capital prices were obtained at the annual ram sale hold by the Border Union Agricultural Society of Kelso. The best figure was £220, and this was secured by Messrs T. and M. Templeton, Sandyknowc, for a shearling ram by Majestic Prince, a well-known Galalaw sire by His Majesty, the purchaser being Mr MTntosh, Ardargie. The price of £6986 paid the other day in the Argentine for the champion Palermo bull is a record for the shorthorn breed in that, or indeed in any other country. The best price hitherto for a shorthorn sold publicly was £4500. realised for the famous Duke of Connaught at the Dunmore dispersion in Stirlingshire in 1873. Last year one of Mr Dan MacLennan’s bulls sold at Buenos Aires made £4COO.

Pigs are worth Romo money up Aberdeen way. The other day a largo white sow was sold at one of the c;tv auction marts for £ls 3s. which i« a record for the North of Scotland. The Board of Agriculture and swine fever between them are rapidly killin'' what is left of the pig industry. The small birds arc particularly troublesome in gardens in Ashburton this season (says the Ashburton Mail), the übiquitous sparrow being the principal offender. In some caeca it has been found necessary to replant summer annuals, while the birds have destroyed whole beds of peas, oven talcing the peas from the nod. Some gardeners are doing a little amateur trapping with the hope of minimising the destruction by the pest. Brisk business is being done at the Ashburton butter factory, the amount treated for the month of October being 22001 b in excess of that ..for the corresponding month last year, and as great as that for December of 1912. The increase is due to the growing popularity of dairying (says the Ashburton Mail), the number of suppliers being considerably in advance of the number for 1912. A Taranaki farmer sold his farm for £BO an acre, and later on held a sale of

j lib dairy herd. I’hc dairy herd comprised • ju-t the ordinary good typical Taranaki | dairy cows, of no special breed, with the | exception of one Holstein, and no pedigree stock, but several had calved, which enhanced their value. The Holstein cow sold

for £23 10s, one of the others brought £l9, three reached £l7 each, four £ls each, and five £l4 each. The average for the whole 45 was £l4.

While Mr Beecham, of Taihape, wag driving a mob of sheep from Taihape to Mangaweka the other day ho had a narrow escape from losing a number of them. When passing a slip 14 of the animals went on the side of the road and immediately sank under the mud and slush. The only part of the sheep to be seen was the head. Mr Beecham immediately secured a plank, placed it across the mud so as to be able to walk over it and pulled the sheep out by their heads. Some pertinent remarks about the pig industry were made by Mr Oharmby, of Woodville, who did the judging at- the Manawatu show. He had noticed, he said, that there had been a very marked decrease since 1896 in the number of pigs shown, and he attributed the diminution to the fact that big profits in butter-fat were inducing the farmer to neglect the pig. The increasing manufacture of cheese in the place of butter was also tending, he explained, to kill the pig industry, as the by-products of cheese were of less value than those of butter as food for pigs. After viewing the root of a Californian thistle which was left the other day by Mr G. D. Baird, of Bendomeer, it is evident (says the Lake County Press) why the efforts of the biologists and farmers of New Zealand to eradicate the pest have failed. The root referred to is lift 6in in length and appears to be as tough as whipcord. It was dragged out by the plough from hard clay and the breakingstrain must therefore have been very considerable.

A number of Australian shearers qro at present in Maoterton looking for boards. Most of them express their intention of shearing whether there bo a call-out or not. Ono of them is reported to have said that ho was not going to bo stranded in New Zealand for all the Labour Federations in Christendom. Ho had paid his passage to the dominion, and was going to earn hie passage back, and a little besides.